25 Types of Trash Treasured by Cute Cat Children as Posted by Pawrents

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Apr 13, 2026 7:00 AM EDT

Cats can develop obsessions over almost anything, but there seems to be quite a concentration within the cat community over specific types of trash that they are obsessed with.

We have heard of cats who are obsessed with clothes, boxes, bags, water fountains and more. But cats who have a specific thing for trash is a new one for us. Likely due to the fact that the items they get their hands on can be commonly found around garbage areas like the ones that many of them are adopted from. Giving these once street cats a fond memory of their previous outdoor life, while enjoying all the perks and purrs of indoor life. And in this list of cute cat children we have a detailed collection of the waste items that cats so deeply desire.

So before you hurriedly search online to buy a trash can with a lock, take a moment to scroll through these funny cat children and see if there are any commonly loved trash items that might be found in your home too. Then you'll know what to make sure you hide from your cat…
 

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  • 01
    Plastic straws are the only toy he likes. We play fetch with them or I move them around with strings like the mouse toys.
    via littlefaithful
  • 02
    Empty cardboard egg cartons!
    via littlefaithful
  • 03
    All of it. She guards the garbage can and we have to lure her away with treats when we need to throw something away.
    via littlefaithful

  • Now, this is some classic cat behavior here. Cats are not known for their subtlety nor their modesty, and a claim like this over all the kinds of trash that make it into the garbage is peak cat behavior. We cannot imagine what kind of a constant struggle it is in this household to try and use the garbage can. A task that is already relatively undesirable, but made infinitely more undesirable when it means that you have to lure your cat away lest you wish to have your arms covered in retaliation scratches. Maybe they could try getting a trash can for her to call her own…?

  • 04
    Little pieces of paper. They both go crazy over them.
    via littlefaithful
  • 05
    Kody is obsessed with straws
    via littlefaithful
  • 06
    Mr. Robby loves pad wrappers
    via littlefaithful
  • 07
    Omg, my lovely void chooses zip ties over everything anytime. She'll go wild for them I bought her extra large ones the other day and she loved them.
    via littlefaithful

  • The feline fascination with zip ties is one that we really have struggled to understand. With a look not too dissimilar to a snake you would have imagined that cats would be less than interested in what a zip tie has to offer them. But at least according to this collection of cats, it is one of the most popular trash toys around. Maybe it reminds them of a rat tail that they can bat around and chase, who knows how the minds of cats work. All we can say is that we are thankful that there is something so common, plentiful and cheap that all cats love.

  • 08
    Quill couldn't pass up a biodegradable packing peanut if his life depended on it. But he clearly also thinks he is the trash...
    via littlefaithful
  • 09
    Sponges. Meredith loves sponges she knows we keep them in the bathroom so she's often waiting for them.
    via littlefaithful
  • 10
    Anything crinkly. I don't have any photos, but that girl loves the crinks. She will come running if she hears any plastic wrap, rustling papers, and stuff like that. She's precious
    via littlefaithful
  • 11
    Hair ties. Preferably ones coated in dust from under the fridge, but if you have one on your wrist, he'll steal that too
    via littlefaithful
  • 12
    One prefers to sleep on actual trash while the other is a little more civilized.
    via littlefaithful
  • 13
    Shoe insole trim
    via littlefaithful
  • 14
    Q tips
    via littlefaithful
  • 15
    broken phone chargers Her favorite toy is one of her broken feather wands tied to a long iPhone charger that doesn't work. She likes to chase it as we sling it around.
    via littlefaithful
  • 16
    Qtips
    via littlefaithful
  • 17
    Napkins! he usually has a nest of them but I had to take the nest off my bed.
    via littlefaithful
  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10613829120
    via littlefaithful
  • 19
    plastic forks
    via littlefaithful
  • 20
    Screws, she likes to play fetch with them
    via littlefaithful
  • 21
    Q Tips!
    via littlefaithful
  • 22
    This little weirdo likes twist ties
    via littlefaithful
  • 23
    Plastic caps from 1gal water jugs! He plays fetch with them, better than any dog I've ever seen. ETA: picture, and he tries his hardest to steal any q-tips he finds (even digs them out of the trash!). I also can't leave any paper towels or toilet paper out because he LOVES making confetti! It must be his side job (but I still haven't seen any rent money!) He's such a funny character!
    via littlefaithful
  • 24
    Just cardboard boxes! She takes residence in them and my ginger boy likes to shred em.
    via littlefaithful
  • 25
    A woven mesh usbC wire for my little monster DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!
    via littlefaithful

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trash caught in the act cute cats treasure posts funny cats pawrents children types
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